Nope, not a lot of crime in Lynnwood. And while I agree that some jerks will step out defiantly into traffic because they can, this guy was not doing that. It's a pretty busy street. Waiting for a long enough break in traffic to cross could take awhile, especially at the time of day (late rush hour) they were set up. He was basically just stepping off the curb, no where near into traffic to force a stop (there is actually a bike lane between the sidewalk and traffic lanes), and letting the driver make the choice to stop for him or not. No one was
forced to swerve, slam on their brakes, or whatever. They were all given plenty of time and space. Some, however, felt somehow compelled to swerve, slam on their brakes, yell, and make a scene. The vast majority I saw simply drove on past like he wasn't even there. And got stopped for it. I'm hoping the ones that made a scene got an extra special ticket for their extra special efforts.
I'm all for this kind of enforcement. I think it's far more valuable than the same three bike cops sitting with a radar gun popping folks for five over on some busy arterial, or out on a lonely back road, or on the freeway. I don't mind them enforcing traffic laws in densly populated neighborhoods. Including sitting between houses with a radar gun, enforcing the 25 mph limit. I believe such enforcement honestly does increase safety, unlike the state patrol sitting on an overpass nailing folks doing ten over; not a lot of pedestrians to hit out there.
Edit:
Hey Bob, I looked for you and didn't see you. I was around the corner of the bar, back by the restrooms. My bike was out by the curb. It's the red Sporty in the background.
